這是我朋友喜歡台灣 且願意留在台灣的理由:D Would you Choose to introduce Taiwan to a Friend? So I had to do a lot of fluffing... read on if you like though. Over the past two and a half years, I’ve crossed Taiwan several times. From the beaches of Kenting to the shiny sidewalks of Xinyi, from Taroko Gorge to Alishan, Taiwan is beautiful; there are wonderful sights, incredible temples and interesting foods. What has always struck me here though, was the people. I’ve been to dozens of countries on five continents but the Taiwanese are some of the most welcoming, kind-hearted people I’ve seen in my life. This is evident in the way the Taiwanese treat foreigners, but also in the way they treat one another. Her are just a couple of the many times when I’ve felt true warmth from the Taiwanese people. My first such experience came about after I’d been in Taiwan a mere 2 days. I was exploring the streets of Tainan and was still jet-lagged, culture shocked and awestruck by everything I saw. I had left my dorm to trek the smoggy, dusty, maze of streets of one day and within 3 or 4 minutes I was completely and utterly lost. I curiously wandered around all-day and evening, hoping to eventually stumble across my dorm. At about 11:00 PM, after hours and hours of walking, I started to get worried. The streets got darker as more businesses were closing and I was becoming more and more pessimistic about ever finding my way back. I had (smartly) circled my home on a map of the city, but no matter how long I gazed at this map, I was completely unable to find where I was, where I was going, or how to get there. On a nameless corner, I stood on the sidewalk, turning my map right side up and upside down, looking like a total bonehead, when a young man approached me on a scooter. In broken English, he asked if I needed help. I showed him the pathetic little circle on my map and then asked how I could get there. He explained the directions as clearly as he could, marking up the map with a blue ballpoint pen. He then, offered to take me on his scooter. I was a very cautious traveler and was sure that any stranger inviting me on his motorcycle wanted nothing more than to take me to a dark alley, kill me, cut my body into 100 pieces and scatter them into a river. This invitation lessened my trust for him; I respectfully turned him down, and cautiously headed on my way, constantly looking over my shoulder to see that he wasn’t following me, plotting to kidnap me. Over two years later, I have to say I am a little embarrassed to tell that story. As I get to know the Taiwanese better and as I see how they treat other people, I am 100 percent confident, that this man would have taken me home and perhaps offered to buy me a beer or a cup of tea on the way. He definitely would have asked me for my msn and invited me to hang out with him and his friends or family on a day in the future. Another experience came about months later. A couple of my friends were visiting from Tokyo and I was to be their incompetent, boastful tour guide. We stayed in a nice hotel on Linsen North Road, and I spent each day trying to prove to them that I could navigate the city, speak Chinese and introduce them to Taiwanese culture. I was failing miserably at all of these things, but we still managed to have fun. Walking down a small alley one morning, I peeked into a temple, complete with small wooden benches, several Buddhist statues and a large vase holding incense sticks. Oddly, the security guard was sleeping and there was a TV and a kitchen in the temple, but I suggested that we go in anyway. “Are you sure he won’t mind? He’s sleeping,” my friends asked. “Hey,” I commanded, “I live here… I understand this place… it will be fine.” We walked in, took pictures, tried to seem profound and strolled around for about 3 minutes, when the guy suddenly woke up. He looked confused for a second , but then invited the three of us to sit down and drink oolong tea with him. We graciously accepted and were all thrilled that we could drink REAL Taiwanese tea with a REAL Taiwanese man. He couldn’t speak English, nor could I speak Chinese, but I pretended to understand and said “dui a” a lot. When he paused, implying that he had asked a question, I would just respond by saying, “Mei guo” or “lao shih.” After 10 or fifteen minutes, the man excused himself to make a phone call. He came back a few moments later handing me a cell phone. On the other end, was a young woman, speaking English. She said hello and explained that I was sitting, drinking tea with her father. Then she paused for a minute…“My father says he is happy to drink tea with you, but is wondering what you’re doing in our house.” At that point I realized, this wasn’t a temple at ALL! We were in the man’s house! I had seen an open door, a Buddhist statue and just assumed it was a public place of worship. In my country, a mistake like this could get someone arrested or even killed! But here, it only got me a cup of tea. As I said before, I could point to dozens of situations where I was literally amazed by Taiwanese and their friendliness. For this reason, I know exactly how I’d introduce Taiwan to my friends from abroad. I’d tell them it is a small country with some of the biggest hearts in the world. I’d tell them that I trust the people here as a whole and am happy to call them my neighbors. --

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